Dictionary > Autophagy

Autophagy

Definition
noun
A programmed cell death characterized by biochemical events leading to self-digestion through the destructive action of enzymes produced by the cell itself, often as a defensive or self-preservation response
Supplement
The death of a cell may be physiological (i.e. programmed cell death) or non-physiological (i.e. necrosis). In the former, it is described as physiological because the death of the cell is mediated by an intracellular program.1 The programmed type of cell death is further categorized into type I cell death (or apoptosis) and type II cell death (or autophagy).
Autophagy is the process involving biochemical events catalyzed by enzymes produced within the cell that leads to self-digestion. The organelles and misfolded proteins become contained inside a vesicle (referred to as autophagosome). They are then directed into the lysosomes for degradation. Thus, autophagy is a means of the cell to maintain intracellular homeostasis. Not all autophagy ends in cell death. In this case, the cell may still survive. Nevertheless, there are also instances wherein autophagy leads to cell death, such as in the case of a cell that has become cancerous and evaded apoptosis.
Also called:

  • type II cell death
  • auto-cannibalism
  • autophagocytosis

Compare:

See also:

Reference(s):

1 Engelberg-Kulka H, Amitai S, Kolodkin-Gal I, Hazan R (2006). “Bacterial Programmed Cell Death and Multicellular Behavior in Bacteria”. PLoS Genetics 2 (10): e135.


You will also like...

Muscle
Muscle

Muscle cells are specialized to generate force and movement. Learn about the different types of muscle tissues in this t..

takahē
Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)

Meet the colorful takahē, an extremely rare flightless bird. Find out more about its unique features and why they matte..

Homeostasis by water regulation
Homeostasis of Organism Water Regulation

Osmoregulation is the regulation of water concentrations in the bloodstream, effectively controlling the amount of water..

DNA carries genes coding for proteins
Genetic Information and Protein Synthesis

Genes are expressed through the process of protein synthesis. This elaborate tutorial provides an in-depth review of the..

Plant meristem
Plant Meristems and Growth

In plants, growth occurs in meristems, which are the site of repeated cell division of unspecialized cells. These cells ..

Principles of Hormonal Control Systems
Principles of Hormonal Control Systems

Hormones are essential in the regulation of the activity of the various biological systems of the human body. The ineffi..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics